Apparatus for surfacing of both faces of a ribbon of glass



May 25. 1954 E. LAVERDISSE APPARATUS FOR SURFACING OF B 2,679,127 0TH FACES OF A RIBBON 0F GLASS 6 SheetsSheet l 7 Filed May 14, 1952 l/vvmm MN) LAVE'KD 1% W14,

M r AceENTs y 1954 E. LAVERDISSE 2,679,127

APPARATUS FOR SURFACING OF BOTH FACES OF A RIBBON OF GLASS Filed May 14, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 /WEN R Elmo ND L-AV ERIJISS E 3 0% r 1 AGENTS 3 25. 1954 E. LAVERDISSE 2,679,127

APPARATUS FOR SURFACING OF BOTH FACES OF A RIBBON OF GLASS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 14, 1952 INVENToR EDMND LAVERDISSfi May 25. 1954 E. LAVERDISSE 2,679,127

APPARATUS FOR SURFACING OF BOTH FACES OF A RIBBON 0F GLASS Filed May 14, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN v E 1010K 2 mm LAVERDISSE AEENTS y 1954 E. LAVERDISSE 2,579,127

APPARATUS FOR SURFACING OF BOTH FACES OF A RIBBON OF GLASS 1 Filed May' 14, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 .EDMoN) LAVERDISSE .1 W212, A? a.

AGENTS IINVENT'DRII E. LAVERDISSE 2,679,127

APPARATUS FOR SURFACING OF BOTH FACES OF A RIBBON OF GLASS May 25. 1954 Filed May 14, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 X1 --XI 92 92 INVENTOR swamp LAVERDISSE BHq Mfi Mu AGENTS Patented May 25, 1954 Ed th FACES on. A RIBBON F GLASS "to 'Le's Glaciiee (1e12, Samble; Societe A110- nynie; Auvelai's;:-Belgium, a, Belgiancompany "121191 present inventionconcerns the simultane-- ous surfacing (i. e. grinding -andfor polishing: of tlie'two ifaees or. a continuous ribb on of glass by meme of tools inthe form of rotating disco" whie'h' are'i mounted on supiports or beeims' dis posefi -transvers'ely inrelation to the ribbon of glass."

'Ihe inventiomhay for? its principal-obj ect' -to facilitate the operations wh-ieh must-be performed for th 'purp'osei ofi' cleaning; inspecting and adjusting the-toblsflandhas the further object of providing. improvements in the airrarrgemerit and; mounting. off the beams:

According to tlie invention, the removal of c, o'ols for the purpose-'- or maintenejnce "efiecteo :byi successively imparting: to tool 'siipiioi' tiiigbeam as a whole' Vertical rriove meiit from 1118 operative osition and a lateral movement} to: the inspectionand/or cleaning stetior'il Foi' 'th is purpose; ea'ohtool-supoorting beami extends-I: tiniisvei s'ely above a horizontal-- iiiQ path -or treble erid is detajehably engaged by its eh'dls to; sup'ports situelted in' e1 plelne per sheet" of glass so as' to' p 'ermit, bSZfiT'eliti-W IfibVfiifitS-Efl'i'd oiifi' in this planet engagement arid verticaloisplace'rr'reii't of an "lower beam i from itS-" wo'i'kihg position te wait the *li/el 'of' tlie-'- running pi'a'th oi tie'clfssi'ble 'to remove or retorii into posi in beam It is Hills-p tier-nos a on which they-- are mounted Hind; fill-1:: o 11- the freedom of moveme' V to be bI'Oiight 1 t0 the i cleaning-"stations without interrii'ptin ing the operation of the adjacent beam. 1

framework supporting the nstallation;

The

l 2': is laid-on-t-he-ca rriages or sii'pport s re inaitica-l'ly disengaged when the' bei n is; r'aisegl fro :thelettera The'beam thul beco nes gn in tereha neeable member and can be immediately replaced-by another-beam. w y

In the-accompanyingdrawings, which the 114i tue tingandcouplingthe Figures-8 etude-"are fIOlTltifiIld -sic 1e elevqtione; respectively; of tool-supporting beams restingon" sn'pports lateral-1y movable in the; frames Figu res"-*10 andd-ishow in vertical section on; the line and in:- horizontal -5ecti0n on A. line" respectively, beams -restingon fixed solpportsw v Figures 12 and 13 are diag-rqmmaticiiiiews in elevation andin pla -n respectively; showing' a; complete installation. 1

The continnous ribbon ofglass I; leaving" an annealing": furnace is conveyed-in known man: nEer on horizontal rollers 2 successively through a." grinding: apparatus" and through W a polisliing apparatus? Apart-from theglass working-tools, whichconslist of'* metaldisc's (irons) for the grinding} and of discs linedwith "felt (pads) for the flpolish-n'ig, thearrangement and-'- the operation "of these app Matus-are identical; and only on'e' 'of' them has been shown in the drawings fontlie sakeofeimplicitya V Tliefiiobei"vioi'kirig to'ols Send-the lower-workiiae t'ooie 3'-, aetuetefl with a; rotational moverfien t "re sfipfiorted--by*beams-4; fiiarrangedj-inabove and-' themther' below the-glasso w'oikthetwo" faces thereof -simu-ltane Each lower beam 5 rests at its ends on carriage l, the carrying rollers e of which travel along horizontal tracks 9 mounted on supports l connected to plates H supported by the rods of hydraulic pistons l2 adapted to slide in cylinders I3. I

In the working position, that is to say, in their upper position determined by stops i (Figure 1), the beams 5 are maintained at the required height by locking devices is (Figure i) which secure the plates ll of the supports it position when they have been brought against the stops 55 by the hydraulic pressure exerted below the istons !2. For this purpose, use may be made of a control device comprising a main duct it for fluid under pressm'e, and for each beam 5 a branch ll with a distributor it for the control of the pistons l2, and branches i9, 39 with a distributor 223 for the control of the locking devices 14 (Figure 4).

The distributor [8 comprises a rod (Figure 5) which, actuated by a hand lever 22, slides in a sleeve 23 having ports 24 formed therein. When the hand lever 22 is lowered, the fluid admitted at 25 through the gate valve 26 passes through the grooves 21 and arrives through 28 in the branch il, through which it is admitted into the cylinders 53 so as to lift the pistons 12. When the hand lever 22 is placed in the upper position (indicated by a dash-dotted line), the passage of the fluid through the grooves 27 is interrupted and the valve 29, at the lower end of the rod 2!, places the duct l? in communication with the discharge pipe 35.

The distributor 2!] comprises a rod 3| provided with pistons 32 and controlled by the hand lever 33. When the latter is in'its lower position (Fig ure 6), the fluid under pressure admitted at 34 through the valve 35, enters the branch I9, by which it is conducted to the small cylinder 36 behind the piston 3i connected to the locking device it, which is adapted to engage in a catch 38 provided in the plate H, While the liquid situated in front of the piston 3'! escapes through th discharge ducts 39, 45. When the hand lever 33 is raised (position shown by a dash-dotted line), the liquid coming from 34 is sent through the duct in front of the piston 31, which disengages the locking device l4 and releases the plate H, while the liquid which was situated behind th piston 3'! is forced through the branch l9 and the discharge duct 4 1.

- The hand levers 22 and 33 are operated when it is desired to withdraw a beam 5 for the purpose of cleaning or replacing it, these operations taking place Without interrupting the advance of the sheet of glass. At the end of its downward movement, the beam 5 rests on a transporter constituted, for example (Figure l), by series of rollers 12. The carriages i continue their downward movement until the plates H of the supports I!) rest on the cylinders l3. In order to facilitate the engagement and disengagement oi the beams 5 by the carriages 1, they are pro vided respectively with engagement projections and recesses of conical form 43 (Figures 2 and '7) In the arrangement illustrated, the rollers 42 turn freely on their spindles and the beams 5 mounted thereon are carried along by the engagement of a dog 45 with a tooth 45 connected to a chain 44 controlled by a suitable motor, towards the inspection and cleaning station. A replacement beam is then brought above the supports it, which are then raised and secured in position by the locking devices [4.

tooth secured to the endless chain 57.

The upper beams 4 are supported, similarly to the beams 5, at their ends by carriages 4'! travelling on rails 59 suspended on supports 46 secured to the piston rods 48 moving in the cylinders 49. The working position of the upper beam lies at the lower end of its travel, the supports 46 then resting on the cylinders 49 so that no locking is necessary.

In order to reach the inspection and adjustment position, the beam 4 is raised above the rollers 55 by the admission of fluid under pressure into the cylinders 69 through the gate valve 5! (Figure 4) and the duct 52 controlled by the distributor 53 similar to the distributor [8 hereinbefore described. The rollers 59 intended to receive the beam 4 must be adapted to be retracted in Order to permit the passage of the beam. For this purpose they are mounted, for example, on sliding arms or, as shown, on pivotin arms 54 (Figure 3), which return them into position as the beam passes. The latter, the travel of which is limited in the upward direction by stops 55, is then laid on the rollers 50 and moved by the engagement of a dog 56 with the The reverse operation permits or returning a beam into the working position.

Instead of being laid directly on the rollers 42 and 55, the beams 5 and 4 can obviously be laid on transporter frames such as that illustrated at 58 (Figure l), in order to facilitate their subsequent conveyance, if required, in directions perpendicular to the planes of rotation. Other conveying means, such as travelling platforms, could obviously be substituted for those hereinbefore more particularly described.

It is to be noted that, instead of the two beams of each pair, only the lower beam or the upper beam may be mounted in the slideways 6.

In the working position, the beams 4 and 5 are moved transversely to the glass sheet by reciprocating movements imparted to the carriages 1 and 41, either together or in opposite directions to one another. In the installation illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, one of the supports I0 carries a motor 60 (Figure '7) which, through the reduction gear BI and the connecting rod 62, imparts a reciprocating movement to th carriage 1 and consequently to the beam 5. The beam 4 is caused to follow this movement of the beam 5 by a stud 63 having a conical head which is secured to the carriage 1 and engages in a recess of corresponding form in the support 48 when the two coupled beams are in the working position.

The working tools 3, 3 (irons for the grinding and polishers for the polishing) mounted on the beams 4 and 5 respectively are preferably synchronously rotated by means of th motor 64 mounted on the beam 4, the said motor actuating both the shaft controlling the upper tools 3 and the shaft 65 which, through a coupling 61, 68 and a shaft 69, drives the shaft 10 controlling the lower tools 3. The coupling 61, 68 is, for example, of the dog or friction type so that it is automatically engaged and disengaged when the beams 4, 5 are placed in position and removed respectively. This arrangement permits of employing tools of non-circular form maintaining those of one beam exactly opposite those of the beam cooperating therewith.

In the construction illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, the beams 4 and 5 rest on supports designated by 8| and 82 respectively, which are mounted on rollers. The upper beam 4 is provided with rings 83 to enable them to be gripped by means of travelling on a trace air extending sa urai retire glass sheet I. I

. In order to permit disengagement of the beam sm supp s 82 a mac late mo and can be moved on rails 88 under the control of pistons 89 mounted in hydraulic cylinders 98. The rails 88 rest on brackets 9| secured to the frame 92. The distance between the brackets 9| is greater than the width of the beam, so that when the supports 82 have been retracted the beam can pass freely between the brackets.

In order to disengage the beam from its working position, the transporter B5 is placed in position, and when the tools 3' have been lowered, the beam is lifted slightly by means of the jacks 84 in order to disengage the engagement projections 93 on the supports 82. The lat- I ter having been laterally retracted, the beam is lowered by the jacks into the position 5 illustrated in chain lines, and it can then be conveyed to the inspection. station and subjected to the necessary cleaning or repairs.

The supports for the lower beam may also be fixed provided that relative movement of the beam for the disengagement thereof is allowed for. In the construction illustrated in Figures and 11, the beam 5 is provided with the lateral bearing lugs 94 which rest on brackets 95 secured to the frame 92.

In order to produce the disengaging movement, a transporter 96 is employed, the jack 9! of which supports a platform 98 provided with supporting rollers 99. When the tools 3 have been lowered, the jack raises the platform 98 until the beam 5 is disengaged at I89 from the brackets 95, whereafter the beam 5 is laterally moved by means of the rollers 99 in order to disengage the lugs 94 from the brackets 95, the jack is lowered and the beam is pushed into the central position illustrated at 5' in Figure 10.

The jacks illustrated in Figure 8 are of the screw-and-nut type and that illustrated in Figure 10 is of the telescopic hydraulic type, but it will be understood that any other known type of jack could be employed, the features of the invention residing, not in the construction of the hoisting means, but in the arrangement of the beams above a rolling path or track and opposite supports permitting vertical movement of the beams from their working positions without interrupting the operation of the installation.

A complete installation according to the invention is illustrated diagrammatically, on a much reduced scale, in Figures 12 and 13, in which F designates the glass-melting furnace, E the lehr or annealing furnace, B the frames of the grinding and/or polishing machine and P and P the maintenance stations which are assumed to be situated at different levels, but which may also be situated at the lower level, either in alignment with the frames B or laterally as indicated in Figure 13.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for the surfacing of the two faces of a ribbon of glass, comprising tool carrying beams extending transversely of said ribbon of glass, a service station and means for imparting successively to any of said tool-carrying beams a vertical movement from their working position in which said beams are stationary in the'lcngitudi" direction. of the. ribbon te aposition v e spaced from: said. stationary. working position, and a horizontal movement: from said vertically spaced position to. said; servipe station.

Apparatus for the" surfacing of both of a continuous ribbon of glass comprising a. series of pairs of parallel toobcari-ying beamsieiietend-ingtrajn" ersely of ribbon of glass, each a horizont rack extending under said ribbon of glass, pairs of sup orts for said beams situated in planes at right angles to said track; said sup ports and beams being capable of relative movements in said planes while remaining stationary in the longitudinal direction of said track, means for vertically moving said beams in said planes and means for horizontally moving said lower beams along said track.

3. Apparatus for the surfacing of both faces of a continuous ribbon of glass comprising means for supporting said ribbon of glass along a predetermined horizontal path, vertical frames on both sides of said path, a series of parallel toolcarrying upper and lower beams extending transversely of said path, vertical guideways in said frames, pairs of supports slidable in said guideways, each of said beams resting on a pair of supports, a horizontal track below and parallel to said path, means for moving any lower beam with its supports along its guideways from its working position to the level of said track and vice-versa, and means for moving any lower. beam along said track.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, comprising an upper horizontal track above and parallel to said path, means for moving any upper beam with its supports along its guideways from its working position to the level of said upper track and vice-versa, and means for moving any upper beam along said upper track.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the supports for the lower beams are retractable to permit lateral disengagement of the beams supiported thereby.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, comprising reciprocatory carriages interposed between the said lower beams and their supports, and means for reciprocating said carriages.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, comprising means for locking the supports for the lower beams in position, when said lower beams are in their working position with respect to the ribbon of glass.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, comprising a transporter on said track, said vertically moving means being mounted on said transporter.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the beams are supported at their ends on said supports by means of interengaging members such that the beams are released from their supports, when, in the course of the downward movement of the latter, the beams rest on their respective transporters.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, comprising an upper transporter for receiving said upper beams, means for vertically moving any of said upper beams from its working position to said upper transporter and vice versa, and retractable elements allowing passage of said upper beam during its vertical movements.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the support of only one of the beams of a pair of tool-supporting beams is provided with a reciprocating device, and that the carriages of mutter beam and a lcwerbeam;

the two beams support interengaglng members such that they come into engagement when the said beams occupy their working positions.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein one of the beams of one pair is provided with a motor to actuate the tools, and that each beam is provided with a horizontal shaft for the transmission of the movement to the tools and with a vertical shaft on which a coupling member mounted, the arrangement of the coupling members .being such that they interengage when the two co-operating beams occupy their working positions.

Number Number Name Date Goodwillie Jan. 29, 1935 Bezborodko et a1. Feb. 15, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Oct. 31. 1951 

